SWANSBORO — The recent spotting of a black bear on Bear Island is a reminder that they are among the occasional visitors to Hammocks Beach State Park.

A contractor working for Camp Lejeune recently snapped a photograph of the juvenile bear and sent it to park officials, and not long after that a park ranger on patrol also saw it.

“The first time it was seen was when the contractor took the photo on May 1. The ranger spotted it a week or week and half later,” park Superintendent Paul Donnelly said.

But contrary to the island’s name, black bears aren’t seen often.

“It’s not unheard of, but it’s very seldom,” Donnelly said. “This is the first time in the 10 years that I’ve been here that there has been one seen.”

Donnelly said there have been times when they’ve seen tracks, but they haven’t seen the bear or gotten reports of one.

But when they do appear there’s not much reason for them to stay long, with the island lacking the food and water they need.

Bear Island was originally named Bare Island due to its lack of vegetation. Donnelly said the history is that an early map maker changed the spelling to Bear Island to match the nearby mainland community of Bear Creek.

Donnelly said visitors should be mindful that bears can be present on the island.

“From a safety standpoint, if visitors see one they should not try to approach it, and we ask that they don’t disturb the wildlife,” he said.

He said visitors are asked to report a sighting if they see a bear. The area where the bear was seen was not a heavily visited area of the island.

According to information from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the black bear is the only bear species found in North Carolina, with populations in the eastern and western park of the state.

The bears prefer large expanses of uninhabited woodland. In the east, lowland hardwoods, swamps and pocosins are good habitat.

The black bear spotted on Bear Island was at the west end of the island and likely came across Sander’s Creek from land aboard Camp Lejuene, Donnelly said.

With a number of small islands across the waterway, Donnelly said it’s a manageable swim for the black bear.

“Bears can swim,” Donnelly said. “We don’t allow them on the ferry.”

While they don’t know why the bear wandered over to Bear Island, Donnelly said they are typically young male bears in search of new territory.

“It’s usually a territorial dispute when one gets pushed out of an area,” he said.